Lawmaker to introduce NSA transparency bill

Oct. 3, 2013 - 06:00AM
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Headquarters of the NSA at Fort Meade, Md. (Wikimedia)

A top lawmaker said he will introduce legislation this month to increase transparency at National Security Agency in the wake of the well-publicized leaks of former contractor Edward Snowden.

Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said at the Washington Post Live Cybersecurity Summit, that his bill would allow NSA to declassify information that would better inform the public about the scope of the agency’s operations and reassure the public that adequate checks and balances on those operations are in place.

“We are trying to find some confidence builders that we think can address the public’s concerns and still protect these programs,” Rogers said.

He said every violation of over-reach by the NSA has been addressed and the agency is subject to full oversight by the administration and Congress.

“There is no system in the United States government — and, I would argue, state government — that is more overseen than these programs,” Rogers said.